AFRICA: In an attempt to foster ties with African countries that were neither indifferent nor in support of condemnation and Western sanctions against Russia over its continuous invasion of Ukraine, the two giant nations are rallying the African continent for a distinct, yet similar purpose.
Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister visited Denis Sassou Nguesso, the President of the Congo Republic. This, as per reports makes it the second leg of such a tour aimed at strengthening ties with the continent.
Transcontinental Times learnt that the Foreign Minister had visited Egypt before heading to Congo and Uganda. However, his next journey is scheduled to Ethiopia.
According to reports, Emmanuel Macron, the France President and Mike Hammer, the United States Special envoy to Somalia will visit some African countries this week.
In detail, Macron will tour Benin Republic, Cameroon and Guinea-Bissau. On the other hands, the US envoy to Somalia will visit Egypt and Ethiopia
In a newspaper column, Lavrov extolled the African continent for resisting the “West’s attempts to impose a unipolar world order.“
“We appreciate the considered African position as to the situation in and around Ukraine,” Lavrov wrote in the column, adding that African countries had come under “unprecedented” Western pressure to join the sanctions.
However, the Foreign Ministry in Russia through Lavrov’s spokesperson noted that the relationship between Congo and Russia dated back to the soviet era, adding that 8,000 Congolese had studied in Russia.
Many African countries have synonymous ties with the western nation and the dissolved Soviet Union (Russia). Because of their entangled relationships, such African countries avoided interfering in the ongoing face-off between Russia and Ukraine.
For instance, some countries largely depend on the Russian importation of certain farm produce like grains and energy products. This skyrocketed prices of goods in these countries.
In addition, some countries also import from Ukraine while they enjoy trade ties with the western world.
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